Rankings

2011 Toyota Sienna XLE: A Step Up

Email This Page

Your Name

Your Email

To (separate emails with commas)

Message (optional)

Send

Your email was sent successfully.

Close

January 6, 2011

Toyota has gone to great lengths to improve its image throughout the American marketplace, nowhere more so than in the minivan segment. The 2011Sienna, introduced earlier this year has a more modern look to it – inside and out – and is far more appealing as a driver’s vehicle than it ever was before.

Of course actually driving minivans isn’t something its operators think about too much. This is a conveyance meant for appeasing children, hauling toys, tools and whatnot, and generally keeping peace in multi-familyneighborhoods. To that effect, the 2011 Toyota Sienna XLE3.5-liter V-6 minivan is ready to fulfill all the appropriate needs.

Make no mistake about it: this is not a mini minivan. It’s big at 200.2 inches in length, 78.1 inches width, stands 70.7 inches tall and rides on a 119.3-inch wheelbase. It’s not a lightweight hauler either at 4490pounds. It has good ground clearance – even in front-wheel-drive guise – of 6.5 inches and has a very nice turning circle of 36.9feet. Cargo capacity is an estimable 39.1 cubic feet with a maximum of 150 cubic feet with all but the driver's seat stowed.

This comfortable and well-built Sienna, constructed in Indiana, is purposefully designed for American use. It has an excellent 3.5-liter V-6 that produces 266 horsepower at 6200 rpm and 245lb-ft of torque at 4700 rpm.Redline is 6500 rpm and the black speedometer with white numbers and pointers (and teal borders and graphs) peaks out at 110mph. There are fuel and temperature gauges to keep all pertinent information within reach and the trip computer resides atop the center stack.

The 2011 Toyota Sienna is not a machine that wants to talk much about power. Rather, it wants eight people to be coddled, comforted and amused during voyages around town and over the road. To that extent, Toyota fits seatback pockets for second row access, heated front captain’s seats with adjustable temperature control, removable second-row captain’s chairs and a stowable center passenger’s seat with tip-up and long slide. The third row has a 60/40 fold and can also be stowed at a moment’s notice.

There are three zones of temperature control and individual temperature settings, so that no one can logically complain about the nature of the airflow within this Sienna, with vents in the roof for second and third row occupants. Then again, minivans are the sites of family gatherings, so there’s bound to be some bitching – no matter what!